As the old adage would clearly put it, "education
is the bedrock of a nation" and, indeed, education is also the
sole guarantor of human development and progress for both an individual
and society at large. With statistical upsurge of illiteracy rate in
Liberia, many Liberians who left the country due to an unending political
conflict, are rolling up their sleeves to enhance their lives through
quality education in the U.S. Over the years, two outstanding female
Liberian broadcast journalists, namely, Mrs. Welma Mashinini Redd and
Mrs. Edith Gongloe-Weh have pursued the cause for quality education
with the hope to enhance their individual future and, as well, help
lend their ever-changing support to the reconstruction of their homeland,
Liberia.

Mrs. Welma Mashinini Redd, a former Liberian news anchor at ELTV, received
her Master of Fine Arts, Film and Electronic Media degree from the American
University in Washington D.C. on May 9, 2004. In an interview last weekend
at her home in Gaithersburg, Maryland, the graduate said that "it
is important to have a voice during this crucial time in the history
of our nation and Africa as a whole," lamenting the hurdles African
women constantly experience while expressing their cultural views on
variety of political, economical and social issues. It is Mrs. Redd's
hope and aspiration to use her latest degree through the production
of films, such as documentary, to "open people's mind in the western
world about the essence and impact of entrenched indigenous culture
in developing countries. This effort, Mrs. Redd believes, is a way to
build a strong bridge of cultural awareness and integration between
inhabitants of western culture and indigenous culture.

As technology seems to increasingly spawn, it is the former female news
anchor's understanding that it is the right opportunity to bridge the
gap of cultural unawareness and disintegration. And this is true to
Mrs. Redd's credit as evident of her latest involvement in the sponsored
World Bank African Club television program called " PULSEAFRICATV",
launched last April at the IMF headquarters in Washington D.C.

On the question of helping Liberia, Mrs. Redd, recipient of a Bachelor
of Arts degree in Sociology from the University of Liberia in 1985 said,
her goal is to also do independent film production with the sole purpose
to bring growth and development to rural areas of the country. "
Women and children issues, as well as the right social policy for their
well-being, are of paramount concern to me", she expressed with
stern gesture.

In all of this, the former webcasting manager for the Congressional
Black Caucus of the U.S. legislature was quick to point out that proper
use of the media can open doors for the right policy that would eventually
benefit the down-trodden masses. The other graduate, Mrs. Edith Gongloe
Weh expressed happiness that, "it is the time to do what is right
for Liberia particularly in the health sector."

Mrs. Gongloe-Weh will receive her Master of Social Work degree on May
20, 2004 from Temple University in Philadelphia. As a strong advocate
for women's rights in Liberia and the U.S., Mrs Gongloe-Weh is the current
spokesperson for the Association of Liberian Women in Pennsylvania.
Prior to the 1997 Liberian presidential election, she briefly worked
at ELBC as a reporter before heading off to the independent Star Radio,
where she served a year as a reporter and newscaster.

The former Liberian broadcast journalist has been one of the main pillows
behind organized community-oriented programs for political and social
change. Mrs. Gongloe-Weh was a founding member of the 1997 Liberian
Election Observation Network (LEON), which was sponsored by the American-based
National Democratic Institute. While the graduate is currently a member
of the Delaware-Valley Association of Liberian Journalists in the Americas
(ALJA), she has also found strength in affiliating with the Liberian
Women Initiative based in Monrovia, and as a member of the Pennsylvania
chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, U.S.A.